Thiruvananthapuram: The staff at a hotel in Thampanoor had no idea that the Romanians who checked into it in June were among the touts from the Central European country infamous for ATM skimming in India and various other Asian and European countries. After taking the room in different hotels in the last week of June, the three-member gang, all in their late 20s, roamed around the city on hired scooters to figure out frequently used ATMs which are less secured.
On June 30 and July 6 and 8, they went to the SBI ATM kiosk at Althara Junction in the early morning. They took turns of few second each to avoid attention. Two different cameras embedded into smoke detector panels were stuck on the ceiling using adhesive tapes to capture PINs of the ATM cards. In the city, they sometimes stayed separately and sometimes in a group. They had checked into luxury hotels at Thampanoor, Power House Road, Housing Board Junction and finally in Kovalam.
Hotel staffers at Kovalam said there was nothing suspicious about their behaviour as they pretended to be tourists venturing out during the day. After gathering adequate PINs and data, they left the city in mid-July. They hacked card details from bank database also in the meantime. “They then made duplicate ATM cards using the data on the chip. They withdrew money from ATM centres of a Gujarat-based nationalised bank in Worli," an official said.
"Their area of activity was mostly South Mumbai, and they believed to have operated from Colaba, and there is a high chance of them failing to make it out of the city.” Tamil Nadu police had in March this year arrested a Romanian and was hunting for three of his accomplices on a similar theft. It is unclear if they belonged to the same gang operated here.
Six common atm theft types
1. Card skimming
Devices that capture the data on ATM card strip will be placed in the card slot or on swiping machines. Once you put the card, your data will be compromised.
In ATMs, a camera will be set to pry into your PIN. In swiping machines, the operator asks for your PIN and later money is stolen.
Tip: Check for the miniature camera on top of ATM and on sides where pamphlet holder boxes are kept. Never reveal your password to a shopkeeper or salesperson.
2. Cash trapping
The oldest trick in Kerala is to use obstructions on note dispensers. The currency fails to get dispensed, and it is strapped and glued on to obstruction. Fraudsters remove the money after victims leave believing that the machine is faulty.
Tip: Check for obstructions and inform your bank when money is not dispensed.
3. Fake assistance
Elderly people are offered help to take out money. The card will be cloned while it is in touts' hand and money can be withdrawn using PIN that has already been compromised.
Tip: Never part with your card or password
4. Fake keypad: A duplicate keypad is kept over ATM. Once the number is typed, the enter switch wouldn’t work, and transactions would be left halfway. The fraudster will complete the transaction once the victim left.
Tip: Check for fake keyboard kept over the keys.
5. Sneaking over the shoulder: The touts learn your PIN number by staring at the buttons from behind.
6. Listening to keys: The fraudster listens to the typing and identifies keys through an individual pattern of beep on the machine.
Tip: Do not let anyone else with you in ATM counter.
